Gender composition analysis across NZ charity boards, based on available gender data.
Gender data is available for 35% of linked charity officers (74,427 of 212,936). Boards are included only where at least 2 officers have gender data on record. Percentages reflect known gender data and may not represent full board composition.
19,557
38.4%
of gendered officers
6,259
32% of analyzed
4,977
boards with >50% female
2828
of 7974 chairs with gender data
35%
of linked officers
Average board gender composition across all analyzed charity boards.
Number of boards in each female representation bracket.
Average female percentage by board size bracket, based on available gender data.
Gender composition by charity sector. Figures reflect boards with sufficient gender data.
| Sector | Boards | Avg Female % | 0-Women Boards | Female Majority | Female Chairs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | 4,351 | 43.3% | 1285 | 1354 | 606 |
| Social Services | 2,832 | 40.6% | 849 | 795 | 324 |
| Community Development | 2,717 | 37.9% | 867 | 671 | 273 |
| Religion | 2,494 | 26.9% | 1130 | 299 | 92 |
| Arts & Culture | 2,267 | 43.5% | 573 | 723 | 342 |
| Health | 1,867 | 41.3% | 494 | 535 | 223 |
| Sports & Recreation | 1,584 | 31.4% | 607 | 298 | 141 |
| Environment | 882 | 31.9% | 303 | 135 | 83 |
| Other | 273 | 38.6% | 90 | 72 | 33 |
| Animal Welfare | 189 | 55.1% | 32 | 75 | 33 |
| International Aid | 74 | 35.5% | 21 | 13 | 7 |
| Advocacy | 27 | 40.4% | 8 | 7 | 4 |
Charity boards with the highest female representation, based on available gender data.
Boards where no officers with female gender data were identified. This may reflect data gaps rather than actual board composition — officers without linked gender data are excluded.
Across 19,557 charity boards with sufficient gender data, the average female representation is approximately 38.4%. These figures are based on the 35% of linked officers for whom gender information is available.
6,259 boards (32%) appear to have no female members based on available data. Some of these may reflect incomplete gender data rather than actual all-male boards.
4,977 boards (25%) have a female majority (>50% female representation).
Among 7974 chairs with gender data, 2828 (35%) are female.
Gender data is sourced from the shared.people table, joined to charity officers via person_id. Only current officers with a linked person record are included.
Female percentages are calculated from officers with known gender only (Male or Female). Officers without gender data are excluded from percentage calculations but counted separately. Boards require at least 2 officers with gender data to be included in the analysis.
Chair identification uses the is_chair flag on charity officer records. Not all charities have chair designations in the register.
This analysis reflects data availability limitations. Gender coverage varies by charity and sector. Results should be interpreted as indicative rather than definitive.
Data sourced from Charities Services register and shared.people gender data. Our datasets may not be complete. Automated analysis can produce errors. If you believe any data on this page is incorrect, please contact us at hello@charitydata.co.nz.
For informational purposes only. Not investment advice.
Data sourced from Charities Services register and shared.people gender data. Our datasets may not be complete. Automated analysis can produce errors. If you believe any data on this page is incorrect, please contact us at hello@charitydata.co.nz. For informational purposes only. Not investment advice.
Data as at 5 Oct 2026 · refreshed weekly from the Charities Register data we hold